Star Trek, Accident of birth
by BearFaced Entertainment
Summary: The USS Iron Hide A , a sovereign class Federation battleship, span in space dying above Hamilton leaking ships atmosphere and warp plasma into space. She was missing a chunk from the port side of her saucer section as well as the rear of her starboard wa


Epilogue : Death of the Iron Hide

A/N not a new chapter just a small rewrite of my current one wasn't happy with the end or one of my ship names there is a chap on the way read and review if you please aloha BearFaced Entertainment

**Epilogue: Death of the Iron Hide**

The Hamilton system on the outskirts of federation space, the system has a star similar to earth's sol, four planets, one class D planet orbiting closest to the star, followed by an M class planet, Hamilton, with two moons, beyond which lies an asteroid field followed by two Class J gas giants.

A Federation colony founded in the 2260's by a mixed group of Andorians, Bolians humans and Vulcans. An unimportant system with little strategic, scientific or cultural importance Left to develop by Starfleet command and routinely visited every three months by a patrol element of the 23rd fleet.

That was until 2380, five years after the dominion war, when the colony became the first victim of The Ma'Lus invasion. From then on in it became the start and eventually turning point of a war that cost much gained little and killed too many.

**January 26****th**** 2383**

**Three years since the Beginning**

**The second battle of Hamilton**

**USS Iron Hide A**

The _USS Iron Hide A _, a sovereign class Federation battleship, span in space dying above Hamilton leaking ships atmosphere and warp plasma into space. She was missing a chunk from the port side of her saucer section as well as the rear of her starboard warp nacelle. She had fought valiantly in the battle, destroying at least six Ma'Lus Battleships and disabling two more as well as several frigates and a couple of destroyers before finally falling pray to the combined attack of three Ma'Lus heavy cruisers, which had taken advantage of the _Iron Hide_'s already failing shields, before she could escape.

"Captain hull breaches reported on decks four through sixteen, we have life support failures multiple decks as well as crew casualty's" the helmsman, Ensign Jud, reported "warp engines and manoeuvring thrusters are dead sir and the impulse engines only have enough power for one quarter impulse and that wont last"

Captain Joshua Soma, Captain of the _Iron Hide_, nodded rising from his chair to look at the tactical station "Lieutenant Shivra please tell me that we still have some defences left" Shivra looked up from her weapons console "sorry Captain I have nothing, left the phasers have overloaded, our torpedo launchers have been destroyed and the shield generators were damaged severely in the last attack. Sir we're basically sitting ducks and our structural integrity is down to thirty four percent." She looked Soma straight in the eye "Josh we won't survive another attack".

Josh's combadge chimed "Captain this is engineering respond" josh tapped the combadge "go ahead Mr T'pola "

"Sir the warp core is destabilizing we have approximately ten minutes before the core goes up and sir the ejection system is offline, im apologize captain but I recommend we abandon ship, T'pola out"

Soma looked around the bridge, it was filling with smoke, both damage control and medical teams where attending wounded crewmen and damaged consoles, the Iron Hide, his beloved ship was dying and there was nothing he could do. Sitting in his chair he tapped a console built into the right hand side, a whistle sounded across the bridge and the rest of the ship "all hands this is the captain abandon ship, I repeat abandon ship immediately"

Everyone on the bridge glanced at him then proceeded to make there way towards the Jeffrey's tube heading for the escape pods.

Soma again rose from his chair and glancing round the bridge one final time to check every one was following orders "Shivra why are you still at you post, get to an escape pod on the double that's an order" Shivra looked at him her antenna twitching "sir our sensors are showing the Ma'Lus planet killer ship is above Hamilton and preparing to fire, sir there are no federation ships that can intercept".

"DAMMIT!!" Soma went over and looked at the console. The diagram showed the positions of the federation and Ma'Lus ships. "Shivra get to an escape pod there's nothing you can do" Josh followed her to the escape pod hatch in the captains ready room where Jud and the remaining bridge crew awaited there arrival. Once Shivra crossed into the pod Soma stopped "good luck" his last words to his crew as he hid the button sealing the pod and sending it on its way.

"Computer how long until warp core detonation?" Soma asked running back to the bridge and sitting behind the helm.

"Warp core detonation will commence in five minutes" Joshua's hands danced frantically over the helm console and for the second time in his life Joshua Soma knew he was going to die.

The _Iron Hide _started moving with a purpose for one last time. Leaving her escape pods behind her she charged with all she had left at the Ma'Lus planet killer ship.

As Iron hide sped toward it the planet killers escorts attacked the charging federation ship aiming for her engines but they were to slow to react, she had built up to much momentum collision was inevitable, several thousand tonnes of starship travelling at quarter impulse made contact with the shields of the planet killer collapsing them in an instant, the same instant that the warp core exploded. The planet killer could have possibly survived the collision where it not for the warp core explosion that accompanied it. There was little fanfare to those watching one minute the planet killer was there then for an instant where it had been a new sun was briefly born and then there was nothing no _Iron Hide_ no Planet Killer just a mass of radiation and some debris.

**USS Hammer of Sparta**

The _USS Hammer of Sparta_ shook as another volley of Ma'Lus disruptor fire danced across her shields; she fired a scarlet beam from her top phaser banks at her attacker while firing a volley of quantum torpedo's at the cruiser ahead of her. The torpedo's sailed toward there target the first torpedo disabled the enemy's already weakened shields while its three brothers smashed into the hull splitting the ship in two, just as the phasers hit there mark disabling the weapons of the first Ma'Lus ship.

Commander Marcus Sophian, captain of the _Hammer_ grinned as he watched the enemy ships shields fail on the _Hammer_'s view screen "helm bring us about for another run on that destroyer, tactical Finish them off with forward phasers, ready the quantum torpedo's and target the lead battle ship Lets get these bastards." Marcus was angry he'd served with Soma on the old _Iron Hide_ and wanted vengeance for his friend. "Commander Torpedo's ready and target locked ready to fire on your orders sir" his helm officer informed him.

"Excellent fire!!" He watched as another four torpedo's gracefully sped towards there target. The first two impacted the battle ship's shields destroying them as the other two smashed into its hull, one of the torpedo's failed to detonate and punched straight through the ship and continued on into the great black beyond, the second however exploded causing incredible damage on the weak hull. Sophian smiled as he watched the ship began to spin out of control.

"Commander the destroyer has been destroyed, the battleship has taken severe damage, sensor analysis shows there engine's failing and weapons systems off line" the tactical officer looked at Sophian waiting for orders. " very well finnish them off with phasers, helm set course for the _Iron Hide_'s last position, lets see if we cant retrieve those escape pods."


End file.
